Wednesday, June 27, 2007

"..I wish it were possible to endorse and recommend this picture, but I cannot do so.

My greatest objection to the film is its use of God's name irreverently in eight or 10 instances, as in "oh my ---." It was simply unnecessary to write the script this way, and I was bothered by it. I was also uncomfortable with the depiction of our most righteous God as an ordinary man who, though endearing and warm, danced and performed funny miracles. Some people, even individuals with similar beliefs to mine, will not be offended by this presentation. But I was taught at my mother's knee that God is profoundly holy, and we are to approach Him with deep humility and reverence. The first four of the Ten Commandments refer to this divine nature, including a warning to those who would misuse His name or refer to it disrespectfully. How can I endorse a movie that runs past those boundaries, even though most others do far worse?

Finally, I was concerned about the rewriting of the story of Noah and his ark. "God," played charmingly by Morgan Freeman, told the new Noah character that the first flood occurred because the people hadn't done enough "acts of random kindness" (as in A.R.K. Get it?). God destroyed the world and its inhabitants, the contemporary god said, not to punish a wicked and perverse generation as we read in Genesis 6, but as a benign object lesson to encourage people to be nicer to each other. It was bad theology and a radical distortion of Scripture.

As for whether my readers and their sons and daughters should see this film, that decision depends on their individual interpretations and beliefs. From my perspective, it is a shame that the movie is flawed in ways that could have so easily been avoided. Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that the producers and writers did not include the gratuitous sex and violence that punctuates so many other offerings. Evan Almighty could have been a perennial favorite."

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The first line of the article reads, "I first started to understand 'rational evangelism' the night that a woman in a bar told me that she had seen Jesus dressed as a homeless cross dressing man in an elf costume." Heather Kirk-Davidoff then goes on to to tell the story of an encounter she had with a woman in a bar that eventually lead to her favorite character in the musical, "Rent." Angel was "a homeless, drum playing gay man, who spends most of the show dressed as a drag queen Santa Claus." The woman goes on to tell Heather, "what's amazing to me, is how much power Angel's love has in the lives of the other characters in the play. And his love doesn't stop affecting them even after he dies. It's like,... It's like it's made more perfect in his death." It's at this point in the conversation that Heather suggested that Angel was like Jesus Christ. (article)

My biggest problem is not that she had the audacity to make the comparison, (although that is a problem for me.) My biggest problem is that in this article about EVANGELISM, she never explains that she then went on to EVANGELIZE this woman. She would have you believe that she allowed this woman to continue thinking of Jesus as Angel from Rent. Now I don't really know if she went on to explain sin, punishment for sin, the life of the REAL CHRIST, the death of Christ as payment for sin, and the imputed righteousness of Christ so that we might be found holy before a holy and just God. But the general tone of the article would leave me to believe she did not.

Heather goes on to say, "What would evangelism look like if we... counted conversations instead of conversions?" Well Heather, it would look like we had a lot of conversations and no conversions. It would look like we spread a lot of seeds amongst the thorns and on the shallow ground. We would see many plants sprout up and die very quickly.

If someone does not know WHY they are fleeing to God for salvation, then salvation can not be obtained. If we do not inform them of the true gospel message, who Christ TRULY IS, and why he died on that cross, then they have nothing to believe in. Talking to someone about Christ is not evangelism. TELLING them about Christ, and God's only plan of salvation is. So counting conversations is fine, as long as you count the right ones.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Here are a list of scientific facts found in the Bible, (compiled by Ray Comfort):

Jeremiah 33:22 (written 2500 years ago) - The stars in the sky cannot be counted.Science at the time this was written believed that there were about 1100 stars in the sky. This estimation was widely accepted.

Job 26:7 (written 3500 years ago) - The earth freely floats in space.Science at that time held the view that the earth sat on the back of a large animal.

Leviticus 17:11 (written 3000 years ago) - Blood is the source of life.Up until 120 years ago, sick people were "bled", and many died because of the practice. We now know that blood is the source of life. If you lose your blood, you will lose your life.

Leviticus 15:13 (written 3000 years ago) - Hands are to be washed under running water.Up until 100 years ago doctors washed their hands in a basin of still water, resulting in the death of multitudes. We now know that doctors must wash their hands under running water.

Isaiah 40:22 (written 2800 years ago) - The Earth is round.At that time Science thought that the earth was flat. It wasn't discovered that it was round until the well documented story of Christopher Columbus.

Genesis 1:1,3 (written 3,450 years ago) - "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth . . . And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."Science expresses the universe in five terms: time, space, matter, power and motion. "In the beginning (time) God created (power) the Heaven (space) and the earth (matter) . . . And the Spirit of God moved (motion) upon the face of the waters."

Psalm 8:8 - Introduces us to Ocean CurrentsMan discovered the existence of ocean currents in the 1850's, but the Bible declared the science of oceanography 2,800 years ago. Matthew Maury (1806- 1873) is considered to be the father of oceanography. He was bedridden during a serious illness and asked his son to read a portion of the Bible to him. While listening, he noticed the expression "paths of the sea." Upon his recovery, Maury took God at His word and went looking for these paths. His book on oceanography is still considered a basic text on the subject and is still used in universities.

All this kind of makes you wonder why people are so quick to believe what science tells them. More importantly, it points us to the all knowing power of God. God has revealed so many things to us in scripture. I wonder what we will find next that God was telling us about. I'll bet there is more Scientific Fact in there that we haven't even discovered yet.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

I am currently reading the book, "End Times Delusions," by Steve Wohlberg. The book refutes many of the common place interpretations of the end times, but the one that has interested me most thus far is his view of the rapture. Disclaimer - The following is a para-phrased view of Steve Wohlberg and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Timm Rees. Mr. Wohlberg would first point out that the idea of a “pre-tribulation” rapture did not come about until a 19th century evangelist named John Nelson Darby presented it. He would also point out that the word "rapture," is not actually in the Bible. This is a point made by many when discussing the topic, but many will take you to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." Then they will pair this verse up with 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 where Paul tells us that "..we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." There are two problems with this argument; 1. The event described in Thessalonians does not sound like a quite disappearance of millions. There will be "a loud command," and a "trumpet call of God." It sounds rather noisy. Jesus himself describes his second coming as being with a "loud trumpet call." 2. The "twinkling of an eye," in 1 Corinthians, when examined more closely doesn't seem to be talking about a disappearance. It seems to be talking about our bodies changing from mortal to immortal. Verses 53 and 54 go on to say "For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." The third problem with the "pre-trib rapture," is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 3 "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers... Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." Clearly this passage states that a rebellion must come and the anti-christ must be revealed. But the accepted "Left Behind" Theory clearly states the rapture happens first, followed by the rise of the anti-christ, followed by 7 years of tribulation. This theory doesn't seem to fit with 2 Thessalonians 2. Again, these are not necessarily my views, but I will say they are very compelling arguments. Please, leave some comments, and please, read up on this topic. I'm sure I'll post more as I finish the book. Questions? Comments? timmrees@yahoo.com

One more try. Who was John Garner? Hmmmm. I guess you don’t know very much.

Or maybe there is another reason you don’t know these names. Despite the fact that most people seek after the three things these people possessed, nobody remembers mans’ conquests for long.

Hey, I think Solomon wrote about that three thousand years ago. “Everything is meaningless, utterly meaningless” (Ecc.1:1).

Claire Trevor was a glamorous leading lady who won an Academy Award in 1948. How quickly we forget. “This is all so meaningless! For the wise person and the fool both die, and in the days to come, both will be forgotten” (Ecc.2:15).

Nathan Meyer Rothschild was the richest man in the world in the first half of the nineteenth century. Unfortunately his fame could not buy his life. He died in his fifties of an infected abscess. “But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please Him. Even this, however, is meaningless, like chasing the wind (Ecc.2:25).

John Garner was the Vice-president of the United States for eight years under FDR. I’ll bet he got the best table at every restaurant he visited. “He might become the leader of millions and be very popular. But then the next generation grows up and rejects him. So again, it is all meaningless, like chasing the wind” (Ecc.4:16).

Fame. Fortune. Power. Ppfffttt. All gone. A vapor. Like chasing the wind. Meaningless. John Piper recently asked, “What are you going to say to King Jesus when He judges you? Here Jesus. Here is my boat. Look at my golf swing, Jesus.”

Honestly, I don’t want to guilt you. I want to encourage you to get on board. What are you doing that will last?

Is it really that hard to hand out a Gospel tract? Are you sure you couldn't talk to a loved one about their need for righteousness? What will you tell King Jesus? “I couldn't lead someone to you because…” Because what?

Come on. Let’s all just lose our excuses and get on it. Get equipped. Practice. Pray for help. Then do it. Do something for King Jesus that will last longer than anything Claire, Nathan or John ever did. Win someone for the Savior.

Here is Solomon’s (and my) final conclusion. “Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecc.12:13,14)